Owning a Home

Owning your own home is the American Dream…but you need to be prepared for its challenges. These tips, tricks, and other information can help make your experience as a homeowner a little easier.


Maintaining and Improving Your Home

• programs - HUD has a number of programs that may help you with home improvements
• Rural housing repair and rehabilitation grants and loans
• Home improvements for senior citizens
• Avoid deceptive home improvement contractors
• Tips for hiring a contractor
• Home maintenance and repair - great index of "how to's" from repairing leaky faucets to getting ketchup out of carpet
• Specially adapted housing program at the Veterans Administration
• Information for people with disabilities

Energy and Your Home Environment

• Make your home energy efficient with the Energy Star program
• Home energy saver - find the best ways to save energy in your home
• Consumer Energy Information from the Department of Energy
• Protect your family from lead poisoning
• Protect your home from lead hazards
• Indoor air quality
• Radon

Paying Your Mortgage

• Escrow accounts - in most cases, part of your monthly mortgage payment goes into an escrow account. Know what to expect
• Mortgage insurance premiums
• Your rights and the responsibilities of the mortgage servicer
• Reservists, Guardsmen, and Other Military Personnel have special protections
• Having trouble with your FHA lender? - HUD's National Servicing Center may be able to help you
• If you are facing the loss of your home…
• Avoiding foreclosure on an FHA loan
• If you have trouble paying your VA loan

Refinancing

• Should I refinance? - this simple calculator can help you see if refinancing is right for you
• FHA streamline refinance
• Interest rate reduction refinancing loans for veterans
• Predatory Lending - don't be a victim of unscrupulous lending practices
• When not to refinance

Reverse Mortgages

Manufactured Homes

• Have a problem with your manufactured home?

Disaster relief

• HUD disaster relief assistance
• Disasterhelp.gov

Selling Your Home

Selling your home can be exciting, but it also takes work. You’ll need to fix all those little problems you’ve let go for so many years. You need to decide if you’re going to try to sell your own home or use a professional real estate broker. And you’ll need to be patient! Selling your home can take some time, depending on your local real estate market.

Learn about the process and the pitfalls of selling your home, before you begin. Here are just some of the resources available.

• Getting your house ready to sell
• Selling your home
• Settlement costs